Trains affected due to landslide near Khandala

ST CORRESPONDENT

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

A minor landslide at Monkey Hill near Khandala ghat area resulted in a derailment of the engine of Mumbai-Hyderabad Express on Tuesday afternoon. This led to a blockage of the tracks resulting in the delay of over a dozen trains coming to Pune from Mumbai.

PUNE: A minor landslide at Monkey Hill near Khandala ghat area resulted in a derailment of the engine of Mumbai-Hyderabad Express on Tuesday afternoon. This led to a blockage of the tracks resulting in the delay of over a dozen trains coming to Pune from Mumbai.

According to the information provided by Pune Division of Indian Railways, the train 17031b Mumbai-Hyderabad Express had left Mumbai for Pune at 12.45 pm. At 3.30 pm, when it was passing through the ghat area near Khandala, a big portion of a rock fell on the engine due to a minor landslide which caused the locomotive to go off the track.

“No one was hurt. The engine was derailed due to the impact of the boulder falling over it. None of the coaches were pushed off the track. It took several hours to clear the tracks. Although, the down track is safe, the drivers have been advised to follow a speed limit of Rs 30 kmph,” said Manoj Jhanvar, spokesperson, Pune Division.

“Most of these trains ran late as the relief train which came from Kalyan took several hours to clear the track. Thankfully, Mumbai to Pune traffic was affected while Pune to Mumbai traffic remained smooth,” said Harsha Shah of Pune Pravasi Group.